Game apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. HILL, Jr. GAME APPARATUS. N0. 434,98'7.- Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

FIG. 1.

w l i A \W'i U I I a f \\i\ I I j /7 INVENTOR: WITNESSES:-

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R HILL, Jr A GAME APPARATUS.

No. 434,987. Patented. Aug. 26. 18190.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROXVLAND HILL, JR, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES A. HUDSON, TRUSTEE, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

GAM E APPARATU S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,987, dated August26, 1890.

Application filed September 17, 1889. Serial No. 324,239. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROWLAND HILL, Jr.,a citizen of the United States,residing in Broolc lyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games or game apparatus, its object being toaiford not merely amusement, but also a means of exercising or testingthe memory and quickness of observation of the players. a

The apparatus consists of a circularly-arranged series of pockets havingopenings through which a marble or other projectile may enter them, andprovided with a cover or screen so arranged as to conceal the lowerportion of each pocket, so that it is impossible to see in which onesthe marbles have entered or how many marbles are contained in a pocket.The cover or screen is preferably made removable in order to gain accessto the pockets for the counting and removal of the marbles.

In order to direct the marbles into the pockets in such manner that theplayer cannot determine into which pocket the marble will enter, aprojector device is provided, by means of which the marbles are thrown,their entry into one or another of the pockets being determined bychance. This projector device consists in the preferred form of aspinningtop having a cavity in its body, into which the marble isdropped, and an opening in one side of said cavity, through which themarble emerges under the influence of centrifugal force, and rollsthence into whichever pocket lies in its path.

The game is designed to be played by employing, preferably, two sets ofmarbles, those of the first set being entered into the pockets bycausing them to be thrown from the proj ector, so that they enterirregularly or as a matter of chance into the different pockets, whilethose of the other set are subsequently inserted by the player at willinto the pockets, the aim and purpose of this feature of the game beingthat the player shall introduce the marbles of the second set into thosepockets which are empty that is, those pockets in which marbles have notbeen thrown by the projector. During the operation of the projector itrequires a quick eye to see into which pockets the marbles fall, andsubsequently the memory is tested to remember these pockets. Theaccuracy of observation and memory of the player is determined when hehas completed the insertion of the marbles of the second set by removingthe casing or screen and disclosing the pockets and their contents,when, if the marbles of the second set, which are readilydistinguishable in appearance from those of the first set, occupy each apocket to itself the player will be shown to have observed andremembered accurately, whereas if the marbles of the second set arefound in pockets containing also marbles of the first set the playersobservation or memory will be shown to have been at fault. The interestof the game is enhanced by assigning different values to the differentpockets and by a system of counting by which the score is governedaccording to the arrangement of the marbles found deposited in thepockets.

By omitting the use of the second set of marbles the game becomes asimple but interesting game of chance, suitable to be played by youngchildren.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective View of the gameapparatus in use. Fig. 2 is a vertical diametrical section thereof. Fig.3 is a plan thereof on asmaller scale, the spinning-top being removedand the casing partly broken away. Fig. t shows some of the marblesemployed. Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical diametr'ical sections illustratingtwo modified forms of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the game is constructed of a circular box A,having an upright cylindrical outer wall a, and a conical sloping bottomI) inclined toward the center. Radial partitions c c are arranged toproject part way from this sloping bottom to the top of the outer Wall.from the outer wall inwardly toward the center, and are interruptedatasuitable distance from the center to formacircular chamber or spaced. A circular partition e, constructed as a removable ring, is arrangedagainst the in- These partitions extend 5 ner ends of the radialpartitions and forms the wall of this chamber d. The spaces or chambersbounded by the radial partitions c c, the outer wall a, and the innerWall or ring dconstitute the pockets, which are lettered B B. Thesepockets are thus arranged in a circular series and they slope toward thecenter. They are partially covered over by a cover or screen 0, which ispreferably constructed in the form of a disk and is placed within thewall a, resting upon the partitions c c, which latter are formed withshoulders c to hold the coverin aconcentric position. The cover is ofsuch diameter as to extend over the greater part of the length of thepockets, leaving, however, a sufficient portion of each pocket exposedto constitute an opening large enough to freely admit the marbles withwhich the game is played. The cover is preferably constructed with aconcaved center f and a gently-inclined outer surface g, and ispreferably made of like shape on both sides, so that it may be turnedeither side up.

The projector D consists, preferably, of a top to be spun upon the cover0, its stem or peg resting in the concave surface f, by which the top iskept in position while spinning. The body of the top may be of any usualform, provided that it be constructed to form a chamber h, into which amarble may be dropped, this chamber having an outlet-opening 1' atoneside through which the marble may roll out. The top being set tospinning, a marble is dropped into the chamber h, and, having a rapidrotary motion imparted to it by the top, it is quickly thrown outthrough the opening 1' and rolls down the inclined surface 9 of thecover 0, thus falling into which ever one of the pockets 1) b happens tolie in its path. The marble drops into the pocket and rolls down thesloping bottom thereof to the lower or inner end, Where it is fullyconcealed by the cover 0.

The pockets B B are numbered, lettered, or otherwise marked withdistinguishing marks, preferably by giving each a separate number and bydistributing the numbers among them irregularly. The numbers arepreferably marked in the chamber (1 at the foot of each pocket, as shownin Fig. 3, and also upon one side of the cover 0, as shown in Fig. 3,the other side of. the cover 0 being preferably. blank or unprovidedwith these distinguishing marks, as shown in Fig. 1.

The game is played, preferably, with two sets of marbles, such as shownin Fig. 4, where jj indicate marbles of the first set and 70.70 indicatemarbles of the second set. The two sets of marbles are distinguishedfrom each other by their color or size or material, or in some othersuitable manner. In this description I will assume that black marblesare used for those of the first set and white marbles for those of thesecond set. Preferably the number of marbles should equal the number ofpockets, so that, for example, if

' there be fifteen pockets there should be altogether fifteen marbles,of which the greater number shouldbe of the first setsay, for example,ten of the first set and five of the second set.

The game is played, preferably, as follows: The cover 0 being in place,the top D is set spinning rapidly, and one of the players drops theblack marbles into the top, one after another, noting carefully andendeavoring to remember into which pockets they are thrown. When all tenof the black marbles have been thus deposited, he removes the top andinserts by hand the five remaining white marbles into the pockets,endeavoring to place them in those which are empty, or into which noneof the black marbles have been thrown. Having deposited them all, hethen lifts off the cover 0 and the score is counted up from thepositions of the marbles. This clone, the marbles are gathered out ofthe pockets, the cover is replaced, and the next player takes his turn.To facilitate the gathering of the marbles is the purpose of theremovable ring e. By simply lifting up this ring all the marbles run atonce into the chamber d, whence they can. be easily lifted out; or, ifdesired, some special means may be provided for taking them out fromthis chamber. The ring 0 is to .be immediately replaced. The score maybe count ed in various ways, of which the following will serve as a goodexample: Every black marble counts as many points as the number of thepocket into which it is entered. Every white marble occupying a pocketalone counts double the number of points marked on that pocket. EveryWhite marble dropped into a pocket along with one or more black marblesceants off or subtracts as many point's'as the number of the pocketmultiplied by twice'the number of black marbles therein.

To adapt the game to different classes of players and render it more orless difficult according to their capacities or desires, the cover 0 ismade reversible and is marked on one side with the numbers of thepockets, while on the other side it is devoid of such numbers. WVhen thenumbered side is uppermost, it is much easier for a player to rememberthe pockets into which the black marbles fall, because he can identifythem by their numbers. With those, however, who prefer a more difficultgame, the cover is turned with the blank side uppermost, so that theplayer has no guide except the positions of the pockets.

The White marbles or marbles of the second set need not, essentially, bemarbles at all, any other object small enough to be inserted into thepockets being suitablesuch, for example, as dice, or disks such ascheckermen. The marbles jj, however, must be of such shape as to becapable of rolling when projected from the top D.

The projector D, instead of being a top, may be any other suitabledevice by means of which the marbles will be thrown off tangentiallyinto one pocket or another indifferently. Such a centrifugal projectormight be mounted on avertical spindle, to be turned by a crank or anyother source of power. It might be constructed as a revolving disk, inwhich case this disk might be identical with the cover 0. Thismodification is shown in Fig. 5, wherein the cover 0 is mounted on arotary wheel D, carried on a spindle Z, which is driven throughfrictional bevel-gears from a shaft Z turned by a crank m. WVhen byturning this crank the disk or cover 0 has been set into sufficientlyrapid rotation, the dropping of a marble into the hollow f thereof willresult in its being thrown centrifugally outward and over the surface ofthe disk into one or another of the pockets. This figure also shows how,by the lifting up of the ring 6, the marbles will be made to run outthrough a chute n, which leads out from the chamber (1 to one side ofthe box.

Fig. 6 shows a modification in which the bottoms of the pockets B B,instead of s1oping toward the center, slope away from it, their lowestportions being at their outer ends. This construction requires that thecover 0 shall be made in the form of awasher or ring with an open center1), through which the marbles may fall into the pockets. The outerportion of the cover should be turned up, as shown at q, to prevent themarbles be ing thrown outwardly, and the cover should be sufficientlysloped at g to direct the marbles toward the central opening. This formof apparatus may be operated by the use of the top D as a projector,spun with its stem in the hollow f, which in this case is formed on apost or boss f, projecting up in the middle of the apparatus; or, inlieu thereof, the marbles maybe thrown byhand tangentially onto thecover 0, so that they shall roll around the latter until they lose theirmomentum sufficiently to run down the incline g and fall into one orother of the pockets; or this tagential projection of the marbles may beeffected by the use of any of the known spring-guns or devices forshooting marbles.

In case the game is to be played solely as a game of chance and withoututilizing the features involving the exercise of quick observation andaccurate memory, as may-be desirable for little children, the lowermostportions of. the pockets B B may be omitted, so that the marbles willnot be concealed as they roll into the pockets.

I claim as my invention the following defined novel features andcombinations, sub stantially as hereinbefore set forth, namely:

1. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofindependent pockets with a cover for concealing the contents thereof,arranged to leave a separate opening into each pocket through which amarble or other projectile may enter.

2. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofindependent pockets having inclined bottoms with a cover for concealingthe lower portions of all of the pockets, whereby a marble dropped intoany pocket will roll under said cover out of sight.

3. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofindependent pockets having inclined bottoms with a cover for concealingthe lower portions of all of the pockets and arranged to leave aseparate opening into the upper part of each pocket through which amarble or other projectile may pass and roll down into the concealedlower portion of the pocket.

4. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofindependent pockets with a cover for concealing the contents thereof,arranged to leave a separate opening into each pocket, and a projectorfor throwing a marble or other projectile, constructed to cause theprojectile thrown thereby to enter one or another of said pockets.

5. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofpockets having inclined bottoms sloping toward the center, and adisk-shaped cover arranged concentrically to said pockets and coveringthe inner and lower port-ions thereof, leaving their outer portions openfor the admission of a marble or other projectile, whereby the latter inenterin g any pocket rolls toward the center and is concealed by saidcover.

6. A game apparatus consisting of a circularly-arranged series ofpockets having inclined bottoms and provided with distinguishing-marks,with a removable and reversible cover for concealing the lower portionsof the pockets, provided on one side with distin guishing-markscorresponding to those of the pockets and its other side blank orunprovided with such marks.

7. In a game apparatus, the combination of a circularly-arranged seriesof pockets having inclined bottoms sloping toward the center, a centralchamber, and a removable ring separating said chamber from the lower andinner ends of said pockets, whereby on. removing said ring any marblesor other similar ob jects in said pockets roll together into saidchamber.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROWLAND HILL, JR.

Witnesses:

GEORGE II. FRASER, JNo. E. GAVIN.

